Scratching the Surface,Two Picassos Revealed

Picasso painted "Woman Ironing" when he was in his 20s. And like so many struggling young artists he often reused old canvases. He first began painting a portrait of a man with a mustache; abandoned it and several years later turned the canvas upside down and painted the image of a skeletal woman ironing over it. The ghost of the man underneath was first detected with an infrared camera in 1989. "Woman Ironing" was recently cleaned and restored by the Guggenheim Museum and is now on display as part of the exhibition, "Picasso Black and White." --Carol Vogel

Click and drag your mouse over the painting to see what was hidden beneath it.

The Suspects

Examinations with different types of equipment – both X-rays and the newest customized infrared cameras – have produced a clearer image of the man underneath "Woman Ironing." But scholars, curators and conservators are still unsure of his identity. Theories have been proposed, argued and dismissed. Early on they thought it could have been Picasso’s friend, a Barcelona tailor. There are other theories that it is one of two fellow artists. There has even been a suggestion it was the beginning of a self-portrait. Below are some of the suspects:

Album /Art Resource, NY

Ricard Canals, Self-Portrait, Undated.

This artist, slightly older than Picasso, was both a rival and a friend over the years. He is the most popular candidate since portraits and photographs look most like the man underneath “Woman Ironing” despite the part of his hair – which in life was not on the same side as the mystery man.

Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

Mateu de Soto, by Picasso, 1901.

Mateu Fernandez de Soto was sculptor. He and his brother, Angel Fernandez de Soto were old friends who Picasso painted. Picasso and Mateu shared apartments and studios both in Barcelona and Paris.

Benet Soler, by Picasso, 1903.

Picasso’s old friend, the tailor, supported him during those lean years. Not only did he commission Picasso to paint a family portrait he also bought some of Picasso’s paintings in exchange for cash or clothes.